Frequently asked questions

These are the questions people actually search for, answered as directly as the evidence allows. Where the honest answer is “no” or “we do not know,” that is the answer given. Each one links onward to the page that sets out the reasoning in full.

Is stem cell or exosome treatment FDA approved?

No. No exosome product holds United States FDA approval for any indication^[1], and no stem-cell product is FDA approved for a cosmetic indication. It is also worth separating two questions that get merged: US approval status does not determine legality in Korea, which regulates advanced regenerative medicine under its own statute. The full answer, including what “cleared” means.

What is the difference between stem cells and exosomes?

A stem cell is a living cell that can divide. An exosome is a nanoscale vesicle released by a cell — roughly 30 to 150 nanometres — carrying protein, lipid and nucleic acid cargo^[1]. Exosomes are produced by cells but are not cells: nothing in an exosome preparation can divide, engraft or persist, and the proposed mechanism is signalling rather than tissue replacement. A practical complication is that exosome isolation methods differ between suppliers, which is why the research community publishes and revises minimum reporting standards^[8]. Side-by-side comparison.

Is PRP a stem cell treatment?

No. Platelet-rich plasma is the patient’s own blood, centrifuged so platelets concentrate into a small plasma volume. Platelets are anucleate cell fragments — not stem cells — and PRP contains none. What PRP actually is.

Does PRP work for hair loss?

Partly, and the honest summary is modest. Multiple independent meta-analyses of randomised trials in androgenetic alopecia find increased hair density against placebo^[2,3]. The largest, covering 27 controlled trials and 1,117 subjects, graded the certainty of that evidence as low under GRADE and reported no serious adverse events^[2]. Effects on hair count and diameter were less consistent than on density. Note also that minoxidil, finasteride and low-level light therapy are the FDA-approved options for this indication^[7], and a discussion that reaches PRP without addressing them has skipped a step.

Can I legally receive stem cell treatment in Korea?

Korea regulates advanced regenerative medicine under a dedicated statute that routes cell-based interventions through designation of the institution and review of the plan by a deliberation committee, and that distinguishes clinical research from treatment. Whether a particular intervention at a particular clinic is authorised is a documentary question to put to that clinic — the framework existing does not answer it. How the framework works.

Are exosome facials worth it?

The evidence does not currently support a confident answer either way. A 2025 comprehensive review found early evidence supporting exosome use for alopecia, facial rejuvenation, hyperpigmentation and scarring, drawn largely from small studies and case reports, while identifying the absence of standardisation in production and application as limiting current use^[5]. Combined with the absence of any approved exosome product^[1], the reasonable position is that this is an area of active research being sold as a finished product.

How much does regenerative treatment cost in Seoul?

This site publishes no prices, deliberately. A price is a commercial claim about a specific clinic’s specific service, and this is an educational reference rather than a point of sale. Any figure you are quoted should come from the clinic that would perform the procedure, after an examination, in writing. Treat a price quoted before a diagnosis with suspicion regardless of the number.

Is it safe?

It depends on which modality, prepared how, under what oversight. In the pooled PRP trials no serious adverse events were reported^[2], and the systematic review of polynucleotides in aesthetic medicine described side effects as generally mild and transient^[4]. For unproven cell-based interventions offered outside research frameworks, the critical review literature documents infection, immune rejection and tumour formation^[6]. The full safety picture.

What should I ask a clinic before agreeing?

Eight questions, starting with what exactly is being injected and where it came from, and ending with who manages a complication after you fly home. The checklist gives each question with what a substantive and an evasive answer sound like.

Written by the Stem Cell Seoul editorial team and medically reviewed by a Korean Board-Certified Dermatologist (AAD International Fellow · ASLMS member). Last reviewed 2026-08-30.